Flora Saini is fascinated by how the Kalbelia tribe, like most indigenous tribes in Rajasthan and Gujarat, have a rich tradition of making their own clothes and jewellery, with all the intricate embroidery in place. The actress plays a member of the Kalbelia tribe in Nagesh Kukunoor’s next film, Dhanak . “Like all of Nagesh’s stories, Dhanak is inspirational and spells hope and triumph. It’s a story involving two children,” says Flora.
In Dhanak , Flora is a tribal woman who robs unsuspecting people on the highway but is kind-hearted towards the children. Having been part of Kukunoor’s previous film Lakshmi , she says, “I had to unlearn a lot of things. Nagesh sir would ask me to tone down my expressions, not act, and talk like we do in our daily lives.”
Shooting in the interiors of Rajasthan is an experience she is unlikely to forget. “When we would resume shooting post lunch, I would suddenly get stuck on one word and blank out while saying my dialogues. The heat would get to me,” she says. On the brighter side, she had local sweetmeats like ghewar and boondi laddu to look forward to. “Nagesh has a sweet tooth and would keep these handy.” Flora is still awed as she talks about the bright hand-woven clothes, beaded jewellery and big belts worn by the tribes. “I spent time in the sun and used makeup to look tanned,” she says.
Flora is more recognised as Asha Saini in Telugu and Tamil cinema, and for a short time she took the name of Mayuri. She laughs thinking about the many names associated with her. “I was very young when I did my first Telugu film. The makers of the film went to Tirupati to do a puja and decided to name me Asha, after the character in the film. They felt the audience may not relate to a name like Flora,” she says.
After featuring in a number of films as Asha Saini, she changed her name to Mayuri as advised by an astrologer. “My mom drove sense into me and said if I had to go through a tough time, even a name change to Amitabh Bachchan will not bail me out. I went back to using my own name.”
Still finding her feet in the Hindi film industry, Flora has also worked in Guddu ki Gun , co-starring Kunal Khemu. “It’s a dark comedy directed by Shantanu and Sheershak, set in Kolkata, and I am a South Indian nurse,” she informs.
She concedes she is a newbie in Hindi cinema and is on the verge of signing a new Telugu film. “There was a time when I was moving from one set to another, doing similar roles of a glam doll. Now, I want to choose what I do.”
